Changes …….It has been over a year since my last post. I would first like to convey my apologies to those who have been faithful readers. However, I would also like to share with you the events of this past year that caused me to take the hiatus that I did. There have been many changes.
Many Challenges and Updates
When I returned from Afghanistan, I had many challenges to face and overcome; my injuries and subsequent medical treatment, reuniting with my children and reacquainting ourselves as a family and learning how to move back into my life. However, my biggest and toughest challenge, by far, was facing the health problems of my father, Tom Stewart, who had been battling cancer for years.
A little over a year ago, his health took a bad turn. At that time I made the decision that my children and I would move back to our hometown to be closer to him and my mother. This, of course, entailed more changes in an ongoing cycle of changes for which I don’t believe any of us were prepared. Fortunately, God was prepared enough for all of us.
The Biggest Changes for our Family
There have been so many ups and downs over the past year, but the one that has been the hardest to handle was the passing of my father. As a little girl, I always saw him as big, strong, and invincible. Even as an adult, I had a very difficult time accepting that he was not going to be able to beat his disease. As the patriarch of our family, his loss hit all of us in a way that I simply did not foresee.
We were crushed, broken and, as my younger sister put it, “this last year has simply been a blur”. A blur; not because we have been moving quickly, but because we have barely moved at all. Life has continued moving on around us; our lives have continued–but at times it has seemed as though we were just completely disconnected from all of it.
Learning How to Move Through the Changes and Grief
Each milestone that we come to takes its toll on us, but at the same time, I believe that it also emboldens us as individuals and as a family. Thanksgiving without watching football with daddy was just not the same. Christmas without my daddy’s smile was just not as happy.
As Father’s Day approaches, my heart is already breaking with the knowledge that I won’t be able to go and tell my daddy that I love him and to thank him for the lessons that he taught me over the years. However, what I am realizing is that through each of these milestones that I thought we wouldn’t be able to handle, we have still come through them. God has brought us through them.
It is very easy, when all is well, to forget that God is holding my hand and walking with me through life. It is when life begins to fall apart and I find myself still standing strong that I remember none of it is possible on my own.
I am weak and without God’s strength and love, I am nothing. It is comforting to me to know that my daddy is now in heaven with God, but it is equally comforting to know that God is also right here with me, holding my hand and at times carrying me through the fire.
Moving Forward, Hand in Hand with God
Looking forward, I am back in the saddle again, so to speak. These have not been the only changes in our lives. God has been so good to us, opening doors that I never expected. God allowed me to find the love of my life and we recently got married.
We are building our own new homestead, together, and there is just so much to share! I cannot wait to pick up where I left off and continue sharing all of the wonderful events and hopefully offer a great deal of information for those of you who are also living that simple life that I love so much!
Next up…..the details of my beautiful country wedding! (with pics!) Part 1 and Part 2!
More Ways to Connect
We also, as a homesteading family, have three additional blogs that might interest you. Two Oaks Farm Talk concerns the more technical side of homesteading. We discuss subjects like gardening, food prep, and farm building and construction with lots of tutorials!
Farm Raised Family is basically a hub for everything under the Two Oaks Farmstead umbrella. You can learn a great deal about all parts of the farmstead there. The Farm Raised Family blog focuses on financial matters such as budgeting, saving, and more and on current events affecting families.
You can also have a more in depth look at all that we do by visiting our Two Oaks Farmstead YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss a thing!
Farm Life and Freedom is the new podcast we are in the process of launching! It is going to be so much fun!
Two Oaks Farmstead is the farm store… the one that holds the umbrella! Check us all out and join us, not only on our blogs and Farm Life and Freedom podcast but come join the fun on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… wherever you get social!
I am glad you are going to continue with your blog! Yes, this past year has brought many changes to our family, some of the most difficult we have ever had to face!!! I am so thankful for you and your sister and that we have each other to lean on and so thankful for our God who carries us when we think we can’t go on. I know Father’s Day is looming large on our horizon right now. We need to do something special to honor Tom this year and it will help us through this day. It doesn’t have to be anything big, just maybe getting together and sharing special times that we had with him. We will laugh, we will cry, but we will also be made stronger through our special memories. Love you, Mom